


nebulae

by Enchantable



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, M/M, Romance, Soul Bond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2019-06-24
Packaged: 2020-05-18 19:53:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19341487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enchantable/pseuds/Enchantable
Summary: “The next time you almost die, you tell me,” he says.Michael grips his lapel.“Same,” he says.





	nebulae

**Author's Note:**

> Original Prompt: When Michael asks Alex to tell him about the day he lost his leg, he wasn’t expecting it to be the same night he collapsed at Isobel’s front door all feverish and hallucinating and it finally made sense. There’s more to their connection than they’re yet to realize.

The last thing Alex is expecting when he’s buying preventative Advil is to see Isobel dragging Michael over to the blood pressure machine in the pharmacy.

“I am not doing this again,” she tells him.

“Iz,” he whines.

“No! Put your arm in. Now.”

Michael shoves his arm into the cuff and it inflates. Advil in hand, Alex slips through the aisle and watches as Isobel chews her thumbnail. Isobel’s nails are always perfect. She looks scared though. Anxiously waiting the numbers as Michael shifts his weight. But even he is looking at the machine. Knowing they’re aliens now, Alex has a feeling this is the most they’ve done in the way of medical care. Isobel peers at the numbers and relaxes ever so slightly.

“We have an hour to kill,” she remarks.

“What? No! Come on,” Michael argues, “we can’t do this all day. I’ve got plans for tonight.”

“You  _what_?!” Isobel’s loud enough that several people turn to look at her. She grabs Michael and hauls him into the aisle over, “cancel them. Now. You’re not leaving my sight.”

“I’m not canceling,” he says, “Iz I feel fine.”

“You felt fine last year too,” Isobel snaps, “one minute you were fine and the next—“

“Okay, okay! Keep your voice down,” Michael says.

Alex is fast, but he’s not fast enough. He doesn’t get to his phone in time and the X-files theme blares out almost damningly loud. Alex clutches the bottle of Advil as Isobel and Michael peer around the aisle. Max is supposed to be Isobel’s twin but they wear identical expressions and seem equally surprised to see him. Michael swings out first and glances at the Advil, ducking his head and smiling before smoothing his face out and turning to Isobel. She still looks worried. Which is an odd thing to see. But she folds her arms and looks at Michael.

“So what happened last year?” Alex asks, deciding now’s probably a good time to cut the bullshit.

“I, um—“ Michael scratches the back of his neck, “well, see,” he tries and Alex looks at Isobel, suddenly glad Michael’s not alone.

“He died,” Isobel snaps and an odd roaring starts in Alex’s ears.

Michael died?

“Iz,” Michael groans her name in a way that only a younger sibling could and looks at Alex, “I’m fine.”

“Because of Max,” Isobel says. Michael’s entire posture changes at the mention of him and Isobel looks momentarily sad before she straightens up, “if you collapse and die, he’s not here to heal you,” Michael opens his mouth but she keeps going, “I am not losing you, Michael.”

“Can we go back to the part where you died?” Alex finally says over the roaring in his ears, turning to Michael, “you died last year?”

“Temporarily.”

“I died temporarily too,” Alex snaps, “why didn’t you tell me?”

Michael looks between them, clearly not a fan of the two on one thing going on. Michael dying is not acceptable to either of them, that much is clear. Actually Michael dying has only really ever been acceptable to one person and that’s Michael himself. Michael is fumbling for a way to explain himself. So Alex does the only logical thing and turns to his sibling.

“Michael collapsed and his heart stopped,” Isobel says, “thank God Max was right there and brought him back before he was actually dead.”

The rushing sound is still going on but it’s tempered by the thundering of his heart.

“When did it happen?” He asks, “approximately?”

“I don’t—“ Michael starts.

“Noon,” Isobel says, “why?”

“I died at ten thirty,” he says.

Isobel frowns but catches on, right after Michael does. Michael locks eyes with him. Alex is a smart guy,  the fact that he didn’t notice the guy he was in love with is an alien easily remains the biggest affront to his intelligence. It’s rare that he around people who can keep up with him. Michael has always been able to lap him, but Alex more than holds his own. They stare at each other and let the realization that Alex’s death somehow resulted in Michael’s—or if they thing about it another way, Michael being saved kept Alex alive. The Air Force is still amazed he was able to survive with how they found him. Alex has always chalked it up to dumb luck. Now he realizes that isn’t the case.

The distance between them has always been a huge issue. He left and Michael stayed, pulling them apart. Around the world he’s never felt Michael. Not in any conscious way. No more than Michael’s been able to feel him—or so they’ve thought. As usual with them the answer is both far more complicated and embarrassingly simple. They can feel each other but in a very physical way and only, it seems, when there’s no other choice. They would have felt each other a lot sooner and in a lot more circumstances if that was the case. The knowledge that they were together in a way that he doesn’t understand seems to rock something in his very foundation. For a moment it’s like they’re the only two people in the store.

“So I’m not dying again,” Michael says, falling back on his old familiar sarcasm and looking at Isobel.

She gives him an older sibling look Alex is all too familiar with.

“How can you make jokes right now?” She questions. Michael gives a patented younger sibling shrug.

“Can I borrow him?” Alex blurts out, “we’ll call if anything changes.”

Isobel looks doubtful but looks at Alex before nodding. Alex feels responsible, but he’s always felt that way about Michael. He grabs Michael’s hand, puts the Advil back and hauls ass out of there. Michael seems fine with what’s going on which Alex doesn’t fully comprehend. But Michael’s always accepted them more readily. Or maybe it’s just an alien thing. He all but drags Michael to the car, which is where Michael finally digs his heels in.

“You probably shouldn’t drive,” Michael says.

“How are you so calm about this?” Alex demands. Michael suddenly finds the car and the sidewalk and the floor very, very interesting. Alex’s eyes narrow, “you knew,” he states. When Michael’s eyes find him the answer is obvious.

“I didn’t know-know,” Michael starts.

“Were you going to say anything?” Alex demands.

“Maybe?”

“What do you mean,  _maybe_?!” Michael cringes, “why would you keep something like this to yourself.”

“Oh I don’t know, Alex, why did you run halfway around the world and then tell me you didn’t want to be with me?” Michael demands.

Alex closes his mouth.

He doesn’t really have a retort for that.

Michael shoves his hands into his pockets and rocks back on his heels. Alex hates that he has a point. If their positions were reversed, he doesn’t know if he would say anything either. Well, no, actually he probably would. But definitely not in any good or thought out way. Alex shoves things down, but that box he puts them in is a jewelry box for all it can hold. Then he usually erupts. Michael’s the one with the bottomless pit of secrets. Michael looks at him and Alex sees the walls he’s so good at keep fracturing. He’s scared and Alex knows he’s got a reason to be. He moves forward instead, poking a finger into Michael’s chest.

“The next time you almost die, you tell me,” he says.

Michael grips his lapel.

“Same,” he says.

“I mean it,” Alex says.

“So do I,” Michael tells him.

Alex glares.

“You can’t just repeat what I’m saying,” he says.

“Yeah?” Michael replies, “how you gonna get me to stop?”

Alex wants to throw Michael in the car, drive him to the cabin and make sure that he’s not dying. Then he wants to make sure Michael knows that he’s not pleased at plans being derailed by announcements like we might be connected and I died alongside you and may have saved your life as well in the process. Mostly he wants to stop having so many secrets when it comes to them. Which is a tall order considering he does covert operations and Michael technically doesn’t exist. But they have to start somewhere.

“We’re going to get lunch,” Alex says. Michael looks momentarily confused, “as a couple.”

Whatever he’s expecting, that’s definitely not it. At long last Michael is the one surprised. Alex tries to judge his reaction but surprise seems to be the only thing on his face. Finally though, he gives up his grip on Alex’s jacket and takes his hand. Alex tells himself there’s no reason for the electric feeling that goes up his arm. He’s definitely imagining it. Or maybe it’s just from holding hands with Michael in public.

“So you get any strange side effects when we were apart?” Michael asks.

Alex figures normal’s probably overrated anyway. 


End file.
